Sunday, August 12, 2012

Lyle Lovett at Celebrate

Lyle Lovett and the Lyle Lovett Acoustic Group performed last night at Celebrate and it was an AWESOME concert. Really energized me and exhilarated me. I was so impressed by the musicianship, the talent, the professionalism, and the generosity of everyone on stage.

The set included a number of songs I wasn't familiar with, as well as hits from the albums Pontiac and Joshua Judges Ruth.

Lovett brought out a guest singer, who's name I forget, who added jazzy warmth to the songs. He was generous with his musicians' solos, and he gave his musicians a lot of solo time. They were all so great, particularly the fiddler, who did the most amazing fiddling solo I have ever heard. It's hard to categorize Lovett's music, because it isn't straight country. It's very bluesy as well.

The opening act was Aoife O'Donovan who performed original work, as well as a cover of one of my favorite Paul Simon songs, Hearts and Bones. She has a very pretty voice, and Lovett brought her into his set to do backup vocals.

It was a fabulous night, a terrific concert, and Celebrate Brooklyn is just a fantastic performing arts series, every year a great season.